Optical Quality and Visual Performance With Different Toric Contact Lens Designs

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Optometry
• Vision Science

Background:

• Toric contact lenses (CLs) are designed to correct astigmatism, a common refractive error.
• Evaluating the optical performance of different toric CL designs is crucial for optimizing visual correction.
• Silicone-hydrogel daily disposable CLs are widely used for their comfort and oxygen permeability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the on-eye optical quality and visual performance of two different toric soft contact lens designs.
• To assess the impact of toric CL design on corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), astigmatism, and ocular higher-order aberrations (HOAs).
• To evaluate subjective visual quality, including blurred and double vision, and lens fitting characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Twenty soft CL wearers (aged 20-39) were enrolled in the study.
• Two daily disposable silicone-hydrogel toric CLs (Eyelid Stabilized Design [ESD-CL] and prism-ballast design [PB-CL]) and a spherical CL control were tested.
• On-eye performance was assessed using CDVA, wavefront sensing for astigmatism and HOAs, and subjective visual quality ratings.

Main Results:

• Both toric CL designs (ESD-CL and PB-CL) and no CL provided better CDVA than the spherical CL.
• PB-CL and ESD-CLs resulted in significantly less induced astigmatism compared to spherical CL and no CL.
• ESD-CLs showed significantly less induced coma than PB-CL, while total HOAs did not differ significantly between conditions. Subjective ratings for blurred and double vision were better with ESD-CLs.

Conclusions:

• Toric contact lenses generally provide superior corrected distance visual acuity compared to spherical contact lenses.
• The specific design of toric contact lenses can influence the correction of ocular aberrations, particularly coma, and impact subjective visual experience.